§6.6Ὁ δ’ ἀετὸς ᾠὰ μὲν τίκτει τρία, ἐκλέπει δὲ τούτων τὰ δύο, ὥσπερ ἐστὶ καὶ ἐν τοῖς Μουσαίου λεγομένοις ἔπεσιν,
Ὃς τρία μὲν τίκτει, δύο ἐκλέπει, ἓν δ’ ἀλεγίζει.
The eagle lays three eggs, but hatches two of them, just as is also in the verses attributed to Musaeus, "He who lays three, hatches two, and neglects one." Although it happens thus for the most part, yet already even three chicks have been seen.
Ὡς μὲν οὖν τὰ πολλὰ οὕτω συμβαίνει, ἤδη δὲ καὶ τρεῖς νεοττοὶ ὠμμένοι εἰσίν. Ἐκβάλλει δ’ αὐξανομένων τὸν ἕτερον τῶν νεοττῶν ἀχθόμενος τῇ ἐδωδῇ.
And as they grow, he casts out one of the chicks, being burdened by the feeding of them.
Ἅμα δὲ καὶ λέγεται ἐν τῷ χρόνῳ τούτῳ ἄπαστος γίνεσθαι, ὅπως μὴ ἁρπάζῃ τοὺς τῶν θηρίων σκύμνους· οἵ τε οὖν ὄνυχες αὐτοῦ διαστρέφονται ὀλίγας ἡμέρας, καὶ τὰ πτερὰ λευκαίνεται, ὥστε καὶ τοῖς τέκνοις τότε γίνονται χαλεποί.
At the same time it is also said that during this time he goes without food, so that he may not snatch the whelps of wild beasts; therefore his talons are bent back for a few days, and his feathers turn white, so that they also become harsh then towards their offspring.
Τὸν δ’ ἐκβληθέντα δέχεται καὶ ἐκτρέφει ἡ φήνη.
And the one that has been cast out is received and reared by the osprey.
Ἐπῳάζει δὲ περὶ τριάκονθ’ ἡμέρας.
He incubates for about thirty days.
Καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ τοῖς μεγάλοις ὁ χρόνος τοσοῦτός ἐστι τῆς ἐπῳάσεως, οἷον χηνὶ καὶ ὠτίδι· τοῖς δὲ μέσοις περὶ εἴκοσιν, οἷον ἰκτίνῳ καὶ ἱέρακι.
And of the other birds, for the large ones the time of incubation is about as long, as for the goose and the bustard; but for the medium-sized ones about twenty days, as for the kite and the hawk.
Τίκτει δὲ ὁ ἰκτῖνος τὰ μὲν πλεῖστα δύο, ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τρεῖς ἐξάγει νεοττούς· ὁ δ’ αἰτώλιος καλούμενος ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ τέτταρας.
The kite for the most part lays two, but sometimes rears even three chicks; and the one called Aetolian sometimes even four.
Τίκτει δὲ καὶ ὁ κόραξ οὐ μόνον δύο, ὥσπερ φασί τινες, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείω· ἐπῳάζει δὲ περὶ εἴκοσιν ἡμέρας καὶ ἐκβάλλει τοὺς νεοττοὺς ὁ κόραξ.
And the crow also lays not only two, as some say, but even more; and the crow incubates for about twenty days, and casts out its chicks.
Ποιεῖ δὲ καὶ ἄλλα τῶν ὀρνέων τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο· πολλάκις γάρ, ὅσα πλείω τίκτει, ἕνα ἐκβάλλουσιν.
And other birds also do this same thing; for often, those that lay more eggs cast out one.
Οὐ πάντα δὲ τὰ τῶν ἀετῶν γένη ὅμοια περὶ τὰ τέκνα, ἀλλ’ ὁ πύγαργος χαλεπός, οἱ δὲ μέλανες εὔτεκνοι περὶ τὴν τροφήν εἰσιν, ἐπεὶ πάντες γε ὡς εἰπεῖν οἱ γαμψώνυχες, ὅτε θᾶττον οἱ νεοττοὶ δύνανται πέτεσθαι, ἐκβάλλουσι τύπτοντες ἐκ τῆς νεοττιᾶς.
But not all kinds of eagles are alike towards their young, but the pygargos is harsh, while the black ones are good parents with respect to feeding; though almost all the crook-clawed birds, as soon as the chicks are able to fly, cast them out of the nest by striking them.
Καὶ τῶν ἄλλων δέ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, σχεδὸν οἱ πλεῖστοι τοῦτο δρῶσι καὶ θρέψαντες οὐδεμίαν ἐπιμέλειαν ποιοῦνται τὸ λοιπόν, πλὴν κορώνης· αὕτη δ’ ἐπί τινα χρόνον ἐπιμελεῖται· καὶ γὰρ ἤδη πετομένων σιτίζει παραπετομένη.
And of the others, as has been said, nearly most of them do this, and having reared them, they pay no further attention to them, except the crow; but this one cares for them for some time; for indeed when they are already flying, she feeds them, flying along with them.
§6.7Ὁ δὲ κόκκυξ λέγεται μὲν ὑπό τινων ὡς μεταβάλλει ἐξ ἱέρακος, διὰ τὸ ἀφανίζεσθαι τὸν ἱέρακα περὶ τοῦτον τὸν χρόνον, ᾧ ὅμοιός ἐστιν· σχεδὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ἱέρακας οὐκ ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, ὅτε θᾶττον φθέγγεται ὁ κόκκυξ, πλὴν ὀλίγας ἡμέρας.
The cuckoo is said by some to change from a hawk, because the hawk, which it resembles, disappears around this time; and indeed almost all the other hawks cannot be seen as soon as the cuckoo begins to call, except for a few days.
Ὁ δὲ κόκκυξ φαίνεται ἐπ’ ὀλίγον χρόνον τοῦ θέρους, τὸν δὲ χειμῶνα ἀφανίζεται.
But the cuckoo appears for a short time in summer, and disappears in winter.
Ἔστι δ’ ὁ μὲν ἱέραξ γαμψώνυχος, ὁ δὲ κόκκυξ οὐ γαμψώνυχος.
But while the hawk is crook-clawed, the cuckoo is not crook-clawed.
Ἔτι δὲ οὐδὲ τὰ περὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν ἔοικεν ἱέρακι, ἀλλ’ ἄμφω ταῦτα περιστερᾷ μᾶλλον· ἀλλ’ ἢ κατὰ τὸ χρῶμα μόνον προσέοικεν ἱέρακι, πλὴν τοῦ μὲν ἱέρακος τὰ ποικίλα οἷον γραμμαί εἰσι, τοῦ δὲ κόκκυγος οἷον στιγμαί.
Furthermore, not even in its head does it resemble a hawk, but in both these respects it is more like a pigeon; except that it resembles a hawk in color alone, though the variegations of the hawk are like stripes, while those of the cuckoo are like spots.
Τὸ μέντοι μέγεθος καὶ ἡ πτῆσις παραπλησία τῷ ἐλαχίστῳ τῶν ἱεράκων, ὃς κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τοῦτον ἀφανής ἐστιν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ὃν φαίνεται ὁ κόκκυξ, ἐπεὶ ἤδη γε ὠμμένοι εἰσὶν ἄμφω.
However, its size and flight are very near to the smallest of the hawks, which is for the most part invisible during the time when the cuckoo appears, although indeed both of them have been seen at the same time.
Καὶ κατεσθιόμενος δ’ ὦπται κόκκυξ ὑπὸ ἱέρακος· καίτοι οὐθὲν ποιεῖ τοῦτο τῶν ὁμογενῶν ὀρνέων.
And a cuckoo has also been seen being eaten by a hawk; yet none of the related birds does this.
Νεοττοὺς δὲ κόκκυγος λέγουσιν ὡς οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν· ὁ δὲ τίκτει μέν, ἀλλ’ οὐ ποιησάμενος νεοττιάν, ἀλλ’ ἐνίοτε μὲν ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐλαττόνων ὀρνίθων ἐντίκτει καταφαγὼν τὰ ᾠὰ τὰ ἐκείνων, μάλιστα δ’ ἐν ταῖς τῶν φαβῶν νεοττιαῖς, καταφαγὼν καὶ τὰ τούτων ᾠά.
And they say that no one has seen the chicks of a cuckoo; but she lays, not indeed by making a nest of her own, but sometimes she lays in the nests of smaller birds, having devoured their eggs, and especially in the nests of ring-doves, having devoured their eggs too.
Τίκτει δ’ ὀλιγάκις μὲν δύο, τὰ δὲ πλεῖστα ἕν.
And she rarely lays two, but for the most part one.
Ἐντίκτει δὲ καὶ τῇ τῆς ὑπολαΐδος νεοττιᾷ· ἡ δ’ ἐκπέττει καὶ ἐκτρέφει.
And she also lays in the nest of the hedge-sparrow; and she hatches and rears it.
Γίνεται δὲ πίων καὶ ἡδύκρεως κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν καιρὸν μάλιστα.
And it becomes fat and sweet-fleshed especially at this season.
Γίνονται δὲ καὶ τῶν ἱεράκων οἱ νεοττοὶ ἡδύκρεῳ σφόδρα καὶ πίονες.
And the chicks of hawks also become extremely sweet-fleshed and fat.
Νεοττεύει δὲ γένος τι αὐτῶν πόρρω καὶ ἐν ἀποτόμοις πέτραις.
And a certain kind of them nests far away and on precipitous rocks.